United States AttorneyWestern District of Missouri

KC Man Charged with Attempting to Carry Loaded Handgun Onto Plane

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was charged in federal court today with illegally possessing a firearm after a handgun was discovered by screeners in his carry-on luggage at Kansas City International Airport.

Anthony Winn, 26, of Kansas City, was charged in a two-count complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo. Winn remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Jan. 3, 2012.

Today’s criminal complaint charges Winn with being a felon in possession of a firearm and with having the concealed handgun in his carry-on luggage when he attempted to board a plane at Kansas City International Airport.

According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s complaint, an x-ray machine operator at the Delta terminal saw Winn place his carry-on bag on the x-ray belt to be examined by Firstline Security screeners on Wednesday morning, Dec. 28, 2011. The x-ray machine operator observed on the monitor what he believed to be the image of a loaded firearm inside the carry-on bag.

Officers with the Kansas City International Airport Police inspected Winn’s bag and found a loaded Glock 9mm handgun with 22 live rounds of ammunition in the 31-round capacity magazine and with one live round of ammunition in the chamber.

Kansas City, Mo., police officers later found $26,515 in various pockets of three pairs of men's jeans that were in the carry-on bag. When Winn was searched following his arrest, officers removed $4,906 from his pants pockets, along with boarding passes to travel one-way from Kansas City, Mo., to Minneapolis, Minn., then to Tucson, Ariz.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Winn has two prior felony convictions for burglary and a prior felony conviction for unlawful use of a weapon.

Phillips cautioned that the charges contained in this complaint are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin G. Davids. It was investigated by the Kansas City International Airport Police, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

###

This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on-line at